Here’s Why Sheryl Crow Slammed ‘Hateful’ Drake for Using AI-Generated Tupac in Kendrick Lamar Diss

Sheryl Crow didn't hold herself back and called Drake 'hateful' after the latter used an AI voice of late rapper, Tupac Shakur in his famed Kendrick Lamar diss last month. "You cannot bring people back from the dead and believe that they would stand for that. I’m sure Drake thought, ‘Yeah, I shouldn’t do it, but I’ll say sorry later’. But it’s already done, and people will find it even if he takes it down," the 62-year-old musician said, according to BBC.

"It’s hateful. It is antithetical to the life force that exists in all of us," the Soak Up The Sun hitmaker added. The singer deemed using AI a 'slippery slope' and 'a betrayal' that "goes against everything humanity is based on." Addressing the AI-generated voice of John Mayer going viral, she argued, "I know John and I know the nuances of his voice. And there would be no way you’d have been able to tell that he was not singing that song," as reported by People. 

The lyrics in Taylor Made Freestyle included another rapper, Snoop Dogg's voice. It went, "Nephew, what the f–k you really ’bout to do? // We passed you the torch at the House of Blues /. And now you gotta do some dirty work, you know how to move, right? Right?" The addition of Shakur's voice led to a legal entanglement where, entertainment lawyer, Howard E. King, representing Shakur's estate sent a cease and desist order to Drake.

The letter noted, that there was "a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the Estate’s legal right." It further called Drake's rap track "a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time." The lawyer added, "The Estate would never have given its approval for this use. The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac’s voice against Kendrick Lamar, a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult."

Following the legal notice, Drake removed the song. Detailing the narrative he went on to creatively rap about it in his next rap track, Family Matters. "A cease-and-desist is for hoes, can’t listen to lies that come out of your mouth // You called the Tupac estate and begged ’em to sue me and get that s–t down," the lyrics read. Drake further sang, "You think the Bay gon’ let you disrespect Pac, n–a? // I think that Oakland shows gon’ be your last stop, n–a." 

Shakur was shot dead in September 1996 in Las Vegas per The New York Post. The All Eyez on Me rapper was shot five times in the elevator at Quad Studios during a robbery. The investigation later cited a gang war he was involved in, which led to the unfortunate incident.